Earning Every Drop of Happiness
by done.with.marblesxx
Summary: From discovery to proposal, a snapshot of four separate scenes from Lily and James' relationship. Written for the 4 quote challenge. Fourshot. LilyJames.
1. Chapter 1

* * *

**Earning Every Drop of Happiness**

_**By luvnmarauders

* * *

**_

**i**

Filled with nothing but mischief and hormones, James Potter walked into a compartment, wiping off his glasses. However, when he entered the compartment, he didn't find three loud and obnoxious boys; he found a group of petite girls, staring up at him in confusion. One especially caught his eye, the one with the fiery red hair and bright green eyes. She glared back at him hatefully.

"H- Hello," he managed to stammer out. His beating heart drowned out the commands from his mind. He was only in fourth year; it was only natural that he be overwhelmed in the sight of very handsome girls.

"I think you're in the wrong compartment," one girl pointed out to him kindly. James barely heard her. He was much too absorbed in staring at the girl with the red hair. She scoffed at him and turned her head very disagreeably.

"Er, yeah," James answered, nervous all of a sudden. He started to walk out, but added a last bit for that girl. "I'll see you around then."

-----

James Potter then devoted himself to this girl who he found out was named Lily Evans. For some unknown reason, she seemed to hate him and screamed at him continuously. Every time he would try to confront this Lily, she would snort disdainfully, turn away and stomp off. He couldn't understand why.

So James was suffering in his dormitory, half of his body dangling off his bed upside down, trying to come up with the reasons for Lily's hatred for him. Had he provoked her in some way? But wouldn't he have remembered bothering a bad tempered red haired girl? So what _had _he done?

"Prongs!" a voice cried out as the dormitory door slammed merrily. "What are you doing?"

James didn't even bother to look up as the blood rushed to his head. "I'm trying to figure something out."

"That Evans girl?"

Sirius Black, his best mate, stared down at him with his hands stuffed in his pockets. This idiot managed to look perfectly handsome all the time, even in the mornings. James couldn't understand how Sirius' hair fell so elegantly over his eyes while his own stuck up in all directions.

"She isn't _just _a girl-" James started, getting up from his position, tone starting to sound defensively.

"She's the only one who have ever rejected you," Sirius interrupted, rolling his eyes. "I _know_."

James frowned and fell back on his bed again, muttering about "Telling mates just _entirely _too much."

"Why don't you give up already, mate?" Sirius inquired, cocking his head. "It's obvious that she hates you."

"I'm not giving up," James replied firmly. "I'm _not_."

Sirius sighed and ran his hand through his brilliant hair. "Why _not_? If you haven't noticed, there are plenty of other girls in this school. Find someone easier who actually _likes _you. And besides, I heard Evans was a really hard catch," Sirius added.

James wrinkled his nose and sat up to face this friend of his. So far in his dating career, none had rejected him; he had chosen the right sort of the girls who were pretty, nice, and melted under his gaze. But they were too easy. What fun was this easiness?

"That's why they call them crushes, Sirius," James murmured, staring straight into Sirius' eyes. "If they were easy, they'd call them something else."

They stared at each other for a moment, but then Sirius walked out the room without another word. Just when the dormitory was completely empty and Sirius' footsteps had long melted into silence, did James whisper, "And if they were easy, it wouldn't be worth it."


	2. Chapter 2

**ii**

"Lily, _please_, it was a complete accident!" James pleaded, treading Lily's footsteps. Lily stormed away icily, ignoring James completely.

She didn't want to hear it; she didn't want to know. She just wanted to jump into her bed, pull the covers over her head and cry for being so stupid. Scold herself for letting her guard down. Yell into her pillow for actually thinking Potter was _fine_. She was realizing how stupid she was.

"Lily!" James kept yelling out. "_Please!_"

Angrily, she suddenly stopped and turned to face James. His eyes begged for understanding. Lily's screamed for solitude.

"Get away from me," she hissed at him dangerously. Just as she was about to walk away, James gently grasped Lily's wrist.

"Lily, listen to me, that wasn't-" he started rambling in hopes that Lily would listen. Lily wasn't listening; she was more feeling his fingers around her wrist and it felt so _good_. She hated herself for it.

"_Shut up!_" Lily bellowed and kicked at James' shin. Squealing, James dropped his hands to grab his poor shin. Lily stared at him scornfully and began walking away.

"_Argh,_" he groaned, but started to follow Lily again, limping pathetically. Lily looked back at the sorry sight and sighed exasperatedly.

"Why can't you just _accept_ that I don't like you?" Lily cried in irritation. "Why don't you just _give up_ and leave me _alone_?"

James' bold hazel eyes bore into Lily's shining emerald ones. Lily couldn't pull her away; the gaze was captivating. She wanted to lean in closer and fill her mind with that brilliant gaze, but of course, she didn't.

"Do you ever just put your arms out and just spin and spin and spin?" James murmured as he gently took Lily's hands into his. Lily didn't draw away this time. "That's what love is like. Everything inside of you tells you to _stop before you fall, _but for some reason you just keep going. You can't help it."

Lily stared back as the misunderstanding stacked up in her heart was melted away. She didn't see a James Potter who was the Gryffindor Prince. She didn't see a James Potter that dyed Mrs. Norris' fur into crazy colors. Instead, she saw him differently; she saw him as a James Potter that she was coming to like.


	3. Chapter 3

**iii**

The Ball was going along nicely in the Great Hall; the music was lilting and sweet, the food was great, and the decorations were beautiful. The atmosphere was perfumed with love as couples twirled around on the dance floor, drinking in the ecstasy of the moment. It seemed everyone was in there, everyone except James Potter, who was sitting out in the balcony, gazing at anything _but _the Ball.

So after about three painful years, it had seemed to James that he had captured Lily Evans' heart. They talked to each other animatedly, exchanged essay ideas, and shared good books.

He thought there was understanding between them when he taught her the little silly poem that he heard his parents whisper to each other.

"A bird may love a fish, but where will they live?" James would murmur with a grin.

"Then I shall have to make you wings," Lily would cry back, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Then they would start laughing. It all seemed like nonsense; a bird couldn't _possibly_ fall in love with a fish. How would they have met in the first place?

James, gazing at himself and Lily, always thought of the bird and the fish who fell in love with each other. They were completely incompatible; his friends ensured him that having them even _get along _would be a miracle, but it had all happened. Love did impossible things and James believed love had already blossomed between them.

Well, he was wrong.

Lily had consented to Amos Diggory's offer to be her escort for the Ball. James had been painfully left in the background, watching Lily walk away. Maybe he had been imagining the whole thing. Lily didn't love him; she merely _put up _with him.

James sighed deeply as he stared at the white crescent moon, not yet full, lucky for Remus.

"A bird may love a fish, but where will they live?" James whispered to himself, mindlessly.

"Then I shall have to make you wings," someone murmured back softly.

Surprised, James discovered Lily was on the balcony with him, dressed in her lovely green gown; she was smiling up at him.

Then he found his wings.


	4. Chapter 4

**iv**

_He's coming back today!_ Lily thought excitedly as she started to arrange her hair elaborately in a sweeping bun.

It was New Year's Eve, and after being separated for two months, James was coming back from his mission for the Order; she would see him tonight, just before the New Year started. She was excited beyond words.

Walking down the stairs, she glanced at her little clock on the wall. It was 6 o'clock; the guests would be arriving soon enough. Lily hoped that James would be the one who would be early. She missed him terribly.

"_Lily! Get the door!_" her friend, Viral, screamed from the kitchen. Lily had barely heard the door bell ring; she was absorbed in her own world, considering how good it would feel to have James' lips on hers again.

Sighing, she pulled at the front door to let the first guest of the night into her home. Surprisingly, it was Sirius, his black motorcycle parked close to the curb.

"Hey Lily," Sirius greeted, pulling off his leather jacket. "Take this for the best person in the world, won't you?"

He unceremoniously dumped his helmet and jacket onto Lily's arms, much to her protest. She glared at him as he grinned back innocently. Yanking open the closet door, she dumped his things in there carelessly, ignoring his cry of protest.

"No one's here yet," Sirius remarked as he walked into the living room. Cutting across the room, Sirius walked into the kitchen where Viral was, trying to snatch a bit of cookie dough.

"_Hey!_" Viral screamed, waving her wooden spoon and flinging the cookie dough on _everything_. It landed on Sirius' face _and _the pie that Viral had just finished. Screaming angrily, she drove Sirius out the kitchen with a _clean _wooden spoon. Sirius, laughing, but left the kitchen, relenting.

"Cookie dough!" Sirius cried delightedly, scraping off the dough on his face and swallowing it down. Lily tried to ignore his immaturity to ask him a rather simple question.

"Have you seen James?"

Sirius glanced down at her, half of his face still covered with goop.

"Not yet," he answered truthfully. "Why?"

"Nothing." Lily sighed, walking away with her arms crossed. "Nothing."

-----

"Only two minutes left!" someone had yelled, but James had still not arrived.

Lily was outside in the backyard where it was quiet; it was a bit chilly, but Lily was a bit hot. Besides, she didn't feel like being in a party.

_Maybe he forgot. Or he just went home because he was tired,_ Lily thought to herself, trying to be understanding. I mean, the man had been in a big, _big _mission. Of _course _he would be tired. But... she just felt like she was lying to herself.

_You can see him tomorrow, _she told herself reasonably. _What's the difference between today and tomorrow?_

The difference was that today was when he _promised _to come.

"One minute!"

So there was only one minute left. It upset Lily she would have to start the New Year with a broken heart.

"Lily!" a familiar voice cried out to her. She quickly turned her head, sending her fiery red hair flying.

"_James!_" she gasped as he made his way towards her. It was finally him after two months. It was _him_.

"I'm sorry I'm late," James apologized, taking her into his arms. "I calculated the distance between your house and the Order's headquarters incorrectly."

"What were you doing there?" Lily whispered back, burying her face into his chest. It brought her great comfort.

"I was talking to Dumbledore," he explained. "I think he might be mad at me because I just ran out in the middle of his sentence."

He started to chuckle, but Lily couldn't bring herself to even _move_. She was afraid he might disappear when she even breathed too loudly.

"You should've stayed with him then," Lily murmured softly. "Why did you leave in the middle of his sentence?"

Secretly, she was pleased. She was pleased James thought she was more important than Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class, and Grand Sorcerer, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. She was more important to him than any with such honor.

Smiling down at her, James brushed away her hair and neatly tucked it behind her ear. He could sense her pleasure; he knew her all too well. He explained himself anyway.

"I came, and it's not because I'm lonely and its not because it's New Year's Eve," James started slowly.

_"Ten!"_

"I came here tonight-"

"_Nine!_"

"Because when you realize you want to-"

"_Eight!_"

"Spend the the rest of your life with somebody-"

"_Seven!_"

"You want the rest of your life-"

"_Six!_"

"To start as soon as possible," James finished softly, staring deeply into Lily's eyes. She stared back sheepishly.

"_Five!_"

"I love you so much, Lily."

"_Four!_"

Lily breathed heavily, unable to grasp what he was saying, or _anything _at that moment. She could only stare until she felt dizzy.

"_Three!_"

"I- I-" Lily stammered, her brain suddenly turning into mush.

"_Two!_"

"I love you," Lily finally breathed.

"_One!_"

They started to lean in towards each other slowly, both yearning for the sweet taste of each other, wanting without thought.

"_Happy New Year!_"

And Lily's New Year was off to a good start.


End file.
